BookYourTrip.uk
Iceland’s Route 1 curving through green meadows toward mountains in Mýrdalshreppur

Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

UK travellers · Keflavík (KEF)

Iceland car hire for UK travellers — what to book before you fly

UK travellers almost always pick up at Keflavík (KEF), not Reykjavík domestic. Compare the total price and automatic availability before you fly, then book the Keflavík Airport landing on DiscoverCars. Some desks are in the terminal; others are a shuttle. Checkout is on DiscoverCars.com. Book Your Trip is not the rental company.

Compare car hire at Keflavík Airport

You’ll book and pay DiscoverCars.com directly. We earn a commission at no extra cost to you. BookYourTrip is not a rental company.

This page is for people flying from the UK into Keflavík International Airport. Reykjavík Domestic (RKV) is not your arrival airport — scheduled London flights land at KEF, about 50 km from the city. If the itinerary leaves town, the car is collected there: in the terminal, or after a short shuttle to a nearby lot. Your confirmation email names which. Plan 30–60 minutes after landing before you are on Route 41.

Book before you fly. July, and any week the automatics are thin, is when a walk-up at the desk stops being a plan. Read the total on the quote: collision excess, gravel and sand-and-ash where they are sold separately, the deposit hold on the lead driver’s card, and whether winter tyres are written into the booking. Third-party cover is typically included. A low daily rate with a large excess is not the price. Amounts vary by supplier — this page does not invent a figure. You book and pay DiscoverCars.com. Book Your Trip is not a hire company.

Why book this

  • KEF, not Reykjavík domestic

    London flights land at Keflavík (KEF). Reykjavík Domestic (RKV) is for internal hops after you have already arrived. The button on this page opens the Keflavík Airport landing on DiscoverCars — not a UK depot, and not Edinburgh.

  • Automatics for a UK licence

    You will be driving on the right, with the wheel on the left. Filter for automatic if you do not want a manual on top of that. Book the gearbox before you fly — do not assume the desk can swap you one in July.

  • Excess, in plain English

    Third-party is typically included. What changes the bill is the collision excess, gravel, sand-and-ash, and the deposit hold. Read those lines on the quote. This page does not print a figure, because the supplier does.

What’s included

  • Keflavík Airport (KEF) quotes on DiscoverCars — not a UK depot and not Edinburgh
  • Automatic, 4x4 and winter-tyre filters on the offers that list them
  • Terminal desks and shuttle brands in the same search
  • Free cancellation on most offers until the deadline printed on the quote

Before you go

Flybus the first night, or keys on day one

If you land in daylight and the roads are open, collect the car and go. If you land after dark, after a red-eye, or into a gale, take the Flybus into Reykjavík, sleep, and pick up the next morning — at KEF or in the city. The Flybus and 101 hotels are on bookyourtrip.is. Do not start a Ring Road at midnight.

Winter tyres before the badge

October to April means wind, ice and short daylight. Confirm winter tyres in writing on the offer. A 4x4 does not open a closed road. Check road.is before you leave the lot.

Compare, then book before you fly

Hold the car against the fare, on the Keflavík landing, while the dates can still move. Most offers include free cancellation until the deadline printed on the quote. Walk-up in July is not a bargain.

Frequently asked questions

Is Keflavík pickup in the terminal or a shuttle?

Both exist at Keflavík (KEF). Some brands sit in arrivals. Many run a short shuttle to a nearby lot — usually free and frequent, just not “walk out and go.” Your confirmation names the meeting point. Plan 30–60 minutes after landing before you are on Route 41, longer if several flights land together or you arrive in a winter bank.

Do I need a 4x4, or is a 2WD enough?

A compact or small 2WD is the usual first trip on paved roads: the Golden Circle, the South Coast, Reykjanes, and a fair-weather Ring Road on Route 1. Take a 4x4 if you have a real highland F-road day in summer and the contract explicitly allows F-roads — many “SUV” deals still forbid them. Extra clearance helps in winter wind and snow, but winter tyres, confirmed in writing, matter more than the badge. Do not take a 2WD onto a highland track.

What should I check on the deposit and the insurance?

Third-party cover is typically included. The decisions are the collision excess, gravel (chips on Route 1 shoulders), and sand-and-ash where it is sold separately. Suppliers place a deposit hold on a card in the lead driver’s name; the amount and whether a debit card is accepted vary by offer, so this page does not invent a figure. Photograph the car in the lot before you leave. Credit-card cover often excludes Iceland gravel and ash — confirm that with the issuer before you fly. You book DiscoverCars; we are not the rental company.

Do I need a car for a Ring Road week or a Reykjavík weekend?

A Reykjavík weekend of tours usually does not. Two nights in the city plus a Golden Circle minibus is a normal car-free trip. Three days on the South Coast, or a Ring Road week, is when the hire earns its place. Do not collect a car “just in case” for a Friday-to-Monday that never leaves 101.

Can I hire with a UK driving licence, or do I need an IDP?

A full UK photocard is in Latin letters. On the offers we send you to, a full national licence in Roman letters is usually enough. An International Driving Permit is the extra if the supplier asks for one at the desk, or if the licence is not in the Latin alphabet. Bring the card the booking names for the deposit hold, plus the voucher. Minimum age and how long you have held the licence sit on the offer — read that before you fly. We are not the rental company.

Are winter tyres included?

Not as a promise on this page. From October to April you want winter tyres written into the booking — studded or winter, confirmed on the offer you pay, not assumed from the daily rate. They matter more than choosing a 4x4 badge for a paved Ring Road. Check road.is and the forecast each morning. If a road is closed, it is closed.

Keep planning